Holiday in Japan (4): Mount Fuji
Wednesday was all about Mount Fuji.
This is an active volcano – it last erupted in 1707/8 – that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its size, symmetry and prominence have given it almost a spiritual status in Japan. Standing 12,389 feet (3,776 metres) tall and surrounded by picturesque lakes, it is a fabulous site – if the weather is kind.
The bad news was that we could not make the intended visit to Mount Fuji Fifth Station because there was so much snow that the station was closed. The good news – far outweighing the bad news- was that the weather was glorious with clear skies and warm sunshine.
Our first set of views was immediately outside our hotel at Hakone overlooking Lake Ashinoko. In the quiet of the first thing in the morning, with not a cloud in the blue sky and with the cone of the volcano sheathed in heavy snow, we had the perfect picture in front of our very eyes.
The second set of views came when we drove from Hakone to Lake Yamanakako. Mid-morning, the weather was still totally clear and the beautiful location provided some new vistas for us.
After quick calls into the Fujisan World Heritage Center (where we saw an excellent film about the volcano) and a splendid supermarket (where we individually bought sone lunch), our third set of views was at Oishi Park overlooking Kawaguchiko where we sat outside eating our lunch.
White clouds now crowned the top of Mount Fuji for out last observation, but we were excited to have some different photographs.
This evening was spent in the alpine town of Matsumoto. A group of five of us – an Indian couple from Nottingham, an Australian woman from Melbourne, plus Jenny and I – trooped out to Matsumoto Castle, illuminated by night, before finding a local restaurant for local food.
It was one of those places where you have to removeyour shoes and store them in a locker and, since Jenny was not wearing socks, she had to go barefoot. Then the meal was served at a table just a little higher than the floor where we located our legs in a well underneath the table.